A Famous Rugby. Family: H. R. Wright and His Sons

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 252, 21 July 1936, Page 14

A Famous Rugby. Family: H. R. Wright and His Sons

(By

r iMIAT there must be some truth in the -*• old adage, "Like father, like son,” is proved by the fact that the four sons of H. R. Wright, a noted Wellington Rugby forward in his day, have followed in his football footsteps, and three of them have gained representative honours, while the fourth, who is only 15 years of age, promises to equal his father and brothers in physique aud prowess. A Rugby Stalwart. H. R. Wright, the bead of the family, commenced bis football career with the I’etone club in 1903, and was selected to represent. Wellington and Wellington province in 1903-4-5-6-7. During this period he played against the Australian team, and was a member of the Wellington provincial team which defeated the .1905 All Blacks. New Zealand has produced few better forwards than “Bumper” Wright. A Chip Oil' the Old Block. Some footballers may be said to be “born to the game,” and certainly the husky Old Boys forward, M. F. Wright, comes under this category. Max is the eldest son of “Bumper” Wright, and bids fair to make as illustrious a name for himself. He played for Wellington College in 1923 and 1924, and on leaving college played lower grade Rugby for Petone and then Old Boys, winning a place in the junior representative team of 1929. lie was promoted to senior grade for Old Boys six years ago, and, except for a spell down south, when he turned out for the ('hristchurch club alongside J. E. Manchester and B. CottereU, and last year when he represented Poverty Bay, he has played for Old Boys since. A tireless worker, Wright was picked for the Wellington colts’ team in 1933, and in 1934 and 1935 achieved representative honours. Last year he was picked for the All Black

FIVE-EIGHTH.)

trials, and again this season Mark Nicholls has selected him to train for the representatives. There is a finesse about Max Wright’s play all too rare among present-day forwards, and, as he Is still on the youthful side, there is every likelihood that he will achieve higher honours at the game. i A Promising Full-back, Ross Wright, the second son, like all his brothers, learnt his football at Brooklyn School and Wellington College. He showed early promise, and in 1933 was captain of the Wellington Rugby Union’s third grade representative team. In 1934 he played for Napier Technical College Old Boys’ club, and gained a place in the Hawke's Bay representative team that year. He also played for Hawke’s, Bay last year. An Attacking Three-quarter Back. Alan Wright, the third son, played for Wellington College, and in 1932 captained the Wellington fourth grade representative team. In 1934 he gained a place in the Wellington representative team, and also played for the North Island against the South Island. In 1935 he was again with the Wellington representative team. In 1936 be played in Christchurch, and has just returned to Wellington. “The Tiger.” Bob Wright, who ig better known as “The Tiger,” was so big a lad that ho was over the weight limit for the school grades, and had to join up with the Poneke club, and now plays for that club’s sixth grade team. He gained a place in the Wellington primary schools’ representative team in 1934. Though only 15 years of age, he is as big as any of his noted brothers.